Stolen car, Greyhound bus collide; 1 dead, 19 hurt

Jul. 13, 2014
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Emergency personnel respond to the scene of a bus accident Sunday, July 13, 2014, on Interstate 70 near Richmond, Ind. Authorities say a Greyhound bus and another vehicle collided on the highway near Indiana's border with Ohio, killing one person and injuring 19 others. / AP via Wayne County, Ind., Sheriff's Office

by (Richmond, Ind.) Palladium-Item

by (Richmond, Ind.) Palladium-Item

RICHMOND. Ind. - A Richmond man driving a vehicle that was reported stolen died Sunday morning when he collided with a passenger bus on Interstate 70, injuring another 19 people.

Just after 7 a.m. Sunday, Wayne County emergency officials began receiving 9-1-1 calls about a traffic accident west of the 149 mile marker in the eastbound lanes of I-70. Reports indicated a 1990 Ford Mustang and a Greyhound bus were involved.

When Wayne County sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the driver of the Mustang, identified as Phillip Lloyd of Richmond, dead at the scene and several occupants of the bus injured.

EMS units from all areas of Wayne County as well as units from Ohio and the Richmond Fire Department responded to the scene to assist, according to a press release from Wayne County Sheriff Jeff Cappa.

Traffic investigators from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department say the Mustang had been reported stolen from Love's Truck Stop in Richmond just before the crash.

The Mustang was driven westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-70 before the crash. That portion of the interstate is divided by a median with a cable barrier, so officials are unsure how the Mustang came to be going the wrong way in the eastbound lanes.

Evidence at the scene points to the impact coming in the driving lane of the eastbound portion of I-70.

Nineteen passengers from the bus were treated at Reid Hospital, Larry Price, director of community relations at the Richmond facility, said shortly after noon Sunday.

One passenger was transferred by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital. Price did not know which hospital or the condition of the patient.

Two were admitted to Reid in good condition. Twelve were treated and released. As of 12:15 p.m., four of the injured passengers were still being processed by the hospital.

"I believe the expectation is they will be treated and released," Price said.

Price said it was fortunate the injured were brought into the hospital during a shift change in the emergency room. Staff from the earlier shift were still at the hospital and able to help with the influx of patients.

"They've done a really great job," he said.

The bus was en route to New York City, according to a sign on the bus visible in a photo released by the sheriff's department. It came to rest in the grassy area south of the eastbound lanes. A tow truck righted the bus to remove it from the scene by around 10 a.m.

County dispatch said the eastbound lanes of I-70 were reopened to traffic just after 10:30 a.m. Sunday.